Slated to open in early 2019, Oscar-winning VFX company’s eighth international studio to enable the creation of 180 specialized jobs within the next three years.
LOS ANGELES -- Pixomondo has announced the opening of the Oscar-winning VFX company’s newest studio in Montréal. This investment will enable the creation of 180 specialized jobs within the next three years.
Breaking ground in Montréal was natural fit for both the VFX company and the city. In recent years, the vibrant metropolis has become one of the Canada’s leading centers for technological innovations, especially with its bourgeoning artificial intelligence sector. Giants such as Google and Microsoft are already investing in Montréal, while the Québec government announced last year that it has committed $100 million for the creation of an AI research hub in the city.
Meanwhile, Pixomondo has been conducting its own in-house research and development, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. The VFX house has been at the forefront of virtual scouting, which allows filmmakers to explore locations virtually, even blocking out potential shots and directing live, motion-capture characters inside the VR location. One of Pixomondo’s breakthrough technologies is currently featured in the immersive installation, National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey in Times Square, a first-of-its kind walk-through digital aquarium.
“Montréal has a lot of visual effects artists and technological architects with unprecedented talent,” said Pixomondo founder and CEO, Thilo Kuther. “We are looking forward to tapping in to that pool and working with some of the best this city has to offer.”
“We can only applaud the governments’ efforts and support to encourage foreign investors, while providing VFX film tax credits and incentives for companies like Pixomondo,” said Pixomondo chief operating officer Sara Mustafa. “The decision to enter the Montréal market was a no-brainer for us.”
Pixomondo’s Montréal office is slated to be an innovative hub working in cutting edge technology including virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and previz. At the same time, it will also maintain Pixomondo’s traditional roots of VFX services, whose excellence in the field has been rewarded with both Emmy and Academy Award wins.
The new Eastern Canadian division, slated to open in early 2019, becomes Pixomondo’s eighth international locale, joining the Los Angeles headquarters, the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver, Germany’s Frankfurt and Stuttgart, and China’s Beijing and Shanghai.
Source: Pixomondo
